how do electric blues breed? my female blue won't eat and won't open her mouth

jsm11482

08-01-2007 03:43 PM

They are mouth brooders so she may be holding eggs in there. They will hold onto the fry in their mouthes for a few weeks.

herefishy

08-01-2007 09:32 PM

Electric blues are mouth brooders. Look at her to see if she has a distended buchal cavity. This will show as an enlargement of her throat area. If so, she's holding the eggs and rolling them to keep them oxygenated. Do not get her excited as she may swallow the eggs.

ralph

08-02-2007 05:43 AM

breeding

But how do they breed ? Mate. To get to the egg stage.

herefishy

08-02-2007 10:34 PM

First of all, the breeders must be brought into breeding condition. this is accomplished by feeding the couple a premium flake and subsidising it with regular feedings of freeze-dried and live foods, brine shimp, blood worms, tubifex worms, beef heart, ect.
The courtship is usually a boisterous affair with the male "driving" the female. The pair will clean a rock or clear the substrate, where the female will deposit the eggs. At this point, there is some deviation depending upon the species. Some males will the fertilize the eggs and the female will then pick them up or the female will pick them up and nudge the male and fertilization takes place in the buchal cavity of the female.
There are also some species where the male will foster the eggs.
So, as you can see, the method is as diverse as the species. Much attention needs to be taken as the male will do seriuos damage, including death, to the female if she is unreceptive to his advances.